It's official, Antoine LeRoux has been drafted by the Diamonds. Awesome! Cannot wait to see him play. Antoine is from France but he has spent some time in Martinique.

Maxime DuPont, the CF I discussed a few days ago, actually went in the supplemental round to Le Morne Rouge, another Martinique franchise. He will probably be assigned to the St. Anne Clippers in single A.

Our second pick is from Canada. Opinions differ on his upside, but Mr. Beck is very high on him. "Lots of upside", as he exclaimed. I know Matthieu Michel as he is from Rivere-Salee, very close to Le Diamant. He is a guy who doesn't hold back with what he's thinking. I like that about him.

Well, I've got to wrap things up as we play Moncton the final game of our series tomorrow. Starting time is 12:05 PM.

While there is plenty of optimism with the Bandits and rookie draft in Le Diamant, it seems there are questions surrounding our skip, Joe Coleman. His authoritarian style seems to be rubbing quite a few of the players the wrong way.

A recent internal report indicated that Mr. Coleman has alienated almost half of our players. While the coaches seem to be relating to the players well, our manager may be in trouble. Just between us, here is a copy of the internal report. Nobody knows what to think right now. I'm okay with the skip, but, I think he could relax things a bit here in the clubhouse. We've heard rumors before regarding personnel moves at management level and nothing has happened. So, maybe not a big deal at this point given the team is winning.

But, according to a team spokesperson it is believed that Benoit Mahe was seen either at or very near the Le Diamant ballpark this past week. Benoit is a progressive local baseball talent that a lot of teams would love to have behind the bench.

I'm worried about Herve. Not his playing ability. He's a player, anyone can see that. Remember I mentioned that his mind tends to wander sometimes? We use to laugh about it, but, no big deal. The last time we spoke on the phone he was unloading about how the team wasn't performing well, that he wasn't being used properly, etc. I asked him specifically what the issue was but he wasn't very clear about that part...just started ranting about something else. I'll let him simmer down and call him in a few days.
The rumors about a new skipper are really gaining momentum around here. Nobody knows what to think. Lots happening with the new draftees joining the roster. A few guys got promotoed to the Parrots (Herve's team) and, unfortunately, a few were released to make room. I'll miss Dominique Pierre. He and I were becoming pretty good friends. He's going back to Provencal, France tomorrow. I included a pic of Dominique's hometown main street. He is going to study to be a boulanger.

Saint-Michel pitcher Jordane Dupois is worthy of mentioning. I've been following his box scores lately as I went to school with his brother (his family lives in St. Pierre). We always looked up to Jordane when we were younger and often attended his school baseball games to watch him pitch.

Jordane is on a 4 game win streak and just maybe pitching the best ball of his career in the FRBL. In his last 3 contests he's yielded one run. One run! And, he had a no-hitter in his last game. Walked 8 guys, but, it's still a no hitter, right?

Our first round pick made his first start last Friday. Pretty rough going for Antoine. He took the L after 5.2 IP. But, here's the thing. The next night, yes the very next night, Skip brought him in to relieve. I mean the kid had just thrown 112 pitches, which from what I hear is about 22 more than what upper management expects, and then without any rest the skip had him toss 22 more pitches. From what I hear owner Bruno Fourcade was furious. Which made the Le Diamant GM and Asst. GM furious.

Some of us think Mr. Coleman maybe wants to get fired. I mean why would an experienced manager mishandle the #1 pick in the draft? We know his contract expires at the end of the season but none of us expect him to be around at the end of the year. The higher ups arrived in town today. I mean, it's rare to see any of them when we are on the road in a place like Montreal, but, to see all 3 at the same time...I don't know.

Anyway, here is Antoine's summary of both games. You can see the dates and pitch counts, because it's so bizarre I wasn't sure anyone would believe it without the proof!

When we arrived at the park tonight we learned the news that the skip has been fired. His locker was cleaned out. It was kind of eerie with the team having to play without a manager. Our pitching coach is in charge (for now), but, all us suspect that it is very temporary.

I think we're all a bit shook up. I mean the first thing you think of is Mr. Coleman is no longer with us. The next question(s) are, who will replace him and how will it affect me? I wonder if I'll still be in the starting line up. Skip was pretty good about being patient with me, even though that was not his strong suit. Still, he was an 'out of the box' type manager. I liked his strategic style, but a lot of players thought it was too weird. You know, the guys who like to utilize the sacrifice, hit and run, stuff like that.

Well, we have a game to play so no time get caught up in team management issues. Coach Kevin Hubert told us to just focus on the game. All other questions will be answered in time.

We are at home against the Le Morne Rouge Tigers. We are 4 games behind the front runners in 3rd place. We have Matt Lund on the mound for us. He is 7-4 and most of us love playing behind him.

It appears our local paper had the scoop on the personnel change. As we await the start of tonight's ball game I saw a copy of Le Diamant Press. I'm not even sure who the guys quoted are, but, I might have liked our manager more than the rest of the team. Well, if I had to guess, I'd say Benjamin Andre was the player quoted. It could be anyone, really. I mean the vibe surrounding him is just not good.

Our first round pick made his first start last Friday. Pretty rough going for Antoine. He took the L after 5.2 IP. But, here's the thing. The next night, yes the very next night, Skip brought him in to relieve. I mean the kid had just thrown 112 pitches, which from what I hear is about 22 more than what upper management expects, and then without any rest the skip had him toss 22 more pitches. From what I hear owner Bruno Fourcade was furious. Which made the Le Diamant GM and Asst. GM furious.

Some of us think Mr. Coleman maybe wants to get fired. I mean why would an experienced manager mishandle the #1 pick in the draft? We know his contract expires at the end of the season but none of us expect him to be around at the end of the year. The higher ups arrived in town today. I mean, it's rare to see any of them when we are on the road in a place like Montreal, but, to see all 3 at the same time...I don't know.

Anyway, here is Antoine's summary of both games. You can see the dates and pitch counts, because it's so bizarre I wasn't sure anyone would believe it without the proof!

Not exactly easing in a 16-year old kid

__________________I'm going to have to meet my Maker some day.
And if He asks me why I didn't let this boy play,
and I say it's because he's black,
that might not be a satisfactory answer.

We met our new manager today. The rumors turned out to be true as Benoit Mahe has joined the club as of Saturday, June 17th. He's from La Trinite' and is pretty young for a manager, just 36.

What a difference in personality. He seems so relaxed and friendly. Said for us to call him Benoit. He says he loves to develop young talent and that the Bandit position was one he always dreamed about since his mid twenties.

It looks like he may be starting Goudie in CF. I hope that doesn't continue as Herb is a nice guy, good team player, but he's not a CF.

OK, I just got a clarification from our hitting coach. What I was looking is just a 'sample line-up', and not what Mr. ...Benoit intends to do. Kevin says that Benoit is going to leave me in CF. At least, for now.

I am in a bit of a slump and I've also found out that the Scouting Report has lowered expectations for me. What does that mean? Not sure, but it is nothing I can control. I'll keep working at all facets of my game. You can bank that.

It's been awhile since I've written about the team. I've been a bit stressed of late. Playing ball professionally is much harder than I thought. Not the part about working on your skills like batting and fielding. It's hard to adjust to so much change at one time. You know about the managerial change for the Bandits, and I mentioned that my good friend Dominique got released on June 6 (no other team picked him up), but it seems like players are coming and going every day. I need a scorecard for my own team. Nobody really tells you about that part of the game when you sign. The focus is on field performance and promotional tracks. But, to get there, you have to be skilled in the off the field areas. Travel, roster changes, managing your money.

Herve got promoted to AAA today. They have moved him to third base and he's not happy about it. So, he takes a positive (promotion) and sort of turns it into a negative. But, that's for him to work out.

The parent team (Diamonds) are in a terrible losing streak. They had dropped 12 out of 14 until this week. The won 3 and lost 2. The rumor has it that Didier Fabre, considered by many to be Le Diamant's best player, has asked to be traded. He's a guy I looked up to and it seems weird if he were to leave the organization. So, does that mean that he'll get moved for prospects that are then placed in Single A? See what I mean, it's like a ripple effect.

Our skip Benoit has been good 'coaching' me on these types of issues. I don't know what I'd do without him. He's a good listener and always seems to have the answer to my questions. I'm sure it will all work out. Just part of the adjustment of professional baseball. Benoit says by the time I'm 18 none of this stuff will bother me, anymore. I hope he's right.

My average has dipped a bit in June. I'll leave the log from June 6 through the end of the month. But,the team is doing pretty well. Oh, one more thing. Our star pitcher Antoine Leroux is not even starting games. He's been put in middle relief. Pitching Coach Kevin Smith says not to make too much of this as part of the reason is to take pressure off Antoine to work on his pitches and not worry about the W's. Makes sense to me. He has a 3.65 ERA.

You know a lot of fans think that if you are not playing at the professional level, the competition is 'weak'. They look at Single A baseball and probably think it is just a little better than H.S. or College.

They could not be more wrong. The players in our league are really good. Antoine LeRoux picked up a home start tonight. Remember, here is a guy who dominated the opposition in High School. 17 BB and a 180 K's in 113 IP is proof enough that he's got stuff, and control. His 0.74 WHIP pretty much means he near untouchable. But, against the Vultures tonight, he struggled mightily. Of course, he's young, and I think he'll turn it around, but no one knows for sure. He was pretty down after the game tonight.

My girlfriend, Alizée, is a part time baker while she attends the university. She works in St. Luce. As a special treat, she baked some Italian focaccia bread for the team practice. I don't get to see her nearly as much as I'd like to, as I'm on the road at least half of the time. As you can see from the picture, the bread made for an ideal treat. She had olive oil for dipping and some french cheese on the side. We're too young for the wine, but, this was treat enough. She will be staying for the game tonight against the first place team from France, the Burnaby Lynx.

First, the good news. We put the skids on a 4 game losing streak by edging out the Lynx, 2-1. A welcome win after losing all 4 previous contests by a single run. More good stuff....Le Diamant strung together 7 straight wins (franchise record) before losing a pair to our rival Anse d'Arlet. What you may not realize is the parent club Diamonds have more than a trickle down affect on the minor league teams. The whole organization seems to relax a bit when they win, while sometimes pressing if they are losing.

Now, for the disappointing news. And, I will caution this with the caveat that a W is more important than me playing/performing in a game. But, with Alizée in the stands it was a huge let down to not get in the game. When I inquired why I wasn't starting to Hitting Coach Kevin Smith he told me this, " Hey, don't blame Benoit for this one, kid. I recommended he give you a night off. You've played 11 in a row and it was starting to show last game."
Once I heard that, I was okay with it. I put it behind me and cheered for the guys and it must have helped because we got the W. Layne Shears came up big time in earning his 5th win of the year.

I wanted to acknowledge our most senior player Pete Kehoe who played for Le Morne Rouge. He retired today at the age of 42. That leaves 40 year old William Fischer of Montreal as the eldest Francais Republic ball player. Best wishes to Pete!

I wanted to get you caught up on Herve Delage. You'll remember, Herve was promoted to AAA Le Marin Waveriders but was shifted to 3b as the incumbent 2nd baseman Ewan Joly is considered a top prospect. Herve had been sulking all week long but, as it sometimes is with him, he didn't see the 'big picture'. Joly was promoted to the Le Diamant Diamonds earlier this week and Herve shifted back to his best position, 2nd base.
Now, maybe it is just a coincidence, but his bat seemed to come alive with the defensive position switch. You can see right below how his average is creeping back up. I do worry about my friend. All that talent....

After a pretty good month of June (14-11), preceded by an even stellar May (18-11), July has been tough on everyone around here. The new manager, well, he's not so new anymore, is trying to keep the team from becoming despondent. He talks to us all the time. Sometimes, privately, and other times before and after the games. We have won 3 of the past 5 games so maybe it is helping us.
I don't ever say this to anyone, except, maybe Alizée, but in a way I'll be glad when the season ends. Don't get me wrong, I love my team, the game of baseball as much as ever...maybe more, but, the travel and heavy schedule of games does wear me down. And, it's not just me. Many of the younger players seemed to struggle the most. Single A vet Harry Goudie has helped me a lot. I didn't even say anything to him, but, he came up to me yesterday and said, 'be cool, Julien, you are not the first player to adjust to Single A baseball. I was the same way." Somehow, just hearing that made me feel better. We need guys like that in the locker room. Harry is not a star player, by any means, but he does bring value to the team with his leadership.
Well, that's it for now.

Our #1 pick in the draft, Antoine, is struggling, so far. There is some talk of maybe shutting him down early, but, Pitching Coach Kevin Hubert is against it. He thinks its better to stretch out the days between pitching so that Antoine can still feel a part of the team. He points out that he has had an excellent record managing the young pitchers in the organization so there is no need to apply star treatment as a precaution. Upper Management pointed out that Maximilion Schmit is one SP who has been out 3 months because of shoulder inflammation but coach Hubert says it had nothing to do with how often he pitched. Still, 129 IP in his first season is a lot in the eyes of many.
But, we're looking forward to seeing Antoine start another game. I think it's just a matter of time before he settles in. I'm telling you, this guy is the real deal.

Wow. I'm in shock. Le Diamant just traded away the face of the franchise, Didier Fabre. He was hitting .321, but informed management that he wanted out of Le Diamant so he would have a shot at a title. The 32 year old first baseman will now be playing in Canada, for Chicoutimi-Jonquiere. They are 48-48 and hope to be a contender with Fabre in their line-up.
The thing is, this deal was made for a 16 year old SP, Robert Bour. A lot of us think they should have got more in the deal. Bour will pitch tonight and I will be sure to do a write up of that game. I feel sorry for Robert, replacing Fabre is a lot of baggage for a kid to shoulder. At the same time, we here great things about his make-up. Scouts like to toss that term around. In Bour's case, they are referring to his dedication to work on his skills and approach almost relentlessly.

A big crowd showed up in Anse' d'Arlet (less than 15 kilometers from Le Diamant) to see Didier Fabre perform for the Chicoutiere-Jonquiere. Didier went 1 for 5 with a double. Anse d'Arlet won it behind two Clay Park homers (12). He scored 4 and batted in 4. But, it was Eugene Gautier's walk-off grand slam that thrilled the crow the most.

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